Dipper trip and tag line drum mechanism for cranes



L. A. RUSSELL June 28, 1932.

' DIPPER TRIP AND TAG LINE DRUM MECHANISM FOR CRANES Filed May 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I I 1 z I ATTORNEY6 June 28, 1932. L. A. RUSSELL 1,365,143

DIPPER TRIP AND TAG LINE DRUM MECHANISM FOR GRANES Filed May 15, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [ll/VE/VTOR L.A Russell ATTORNEYS Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES LESLIE A RUSSELL, 0F MILXVAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO KOEHRING COMPANY,

PATENT OFFICE OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION DIPPER TRIP AND TAG LINE DRUM MECHANISM FOR CRANES Application filed May 15,

This invention relates to shovels and cranes and more particularly to the convertible types of machines wherein the excavating apparatus may be interchanged with another type of excavator while the machine is in the field to adapt the same for a different kind of work.

It is quite common for manufacturers of cranes to ship the machine with several different kinds of booms and digging instrumentalities which include the usual shovel attachment consisting of a short boom and shiftable dipper stick having a bucket secured to one end thereof. Another attachment is the excavating bucket, or clam shell, which is used in conjunction with a relatively long boom. This bucket is suspended from the boom by what is usually known as the holding line and is opened and closed by a 1" separate closing line. With this type of attachment there is a tendency for the bucket to spin or rotate about its vertical axis and twist the two lines, and to obviate this difficulty a third or tag line is used which is secured to one corner of the bucket and is tensioned by some means carried on the excavating machine. Since these excavating or clam shell buckets, when loaded, are very heavy, considerable tension is required on the tag line to prevent the bucket from rotating as above described.

An example of the convertible type of excavating machine is disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,509,295.

My apparatus is applicable to these types of convertible machines, and an object of the invention is to provide cable tensioning means which when used with the shovel attachment permits complete slack take-up of the dipper tripping line and may be further adjusted to positively operate said line sufficiently to produce dipper tripping tension thereon, said apparatus being provided with means for producing tag line tension on the 1930. Serial No. 452,634.

tag line when the convertible machine is used with a clam shell attachment.

Another object of my invent-ion is to provide a combined dipper trip and tag line operating mechanism having means for pro-- being used with an excavating clam shell or bucket, said secondary tensioning means being adapted to be operated when the device is used with a shovel attachment to produce dipper tripping action on the trip cable.

Another object of my invention is to pro-' vide an enclosed type of combined dipper trip, slack take-up and tag line mechanism including a friction drum which is provided with means for cooling the friction surfaces, said apparatus being provided with a plurality of friction bands or driving devices, certain of said devices being constantly tensioned for slack take-up of the dipper tripping line when the apparatus is being used with a shovel attachment, while others of said devices are variably tensioned to cause dipper tripping action, and tag line tension on the tag line when the apparatus is being used with an excavating bucket or clam shell.

Another object of my invention is to provide control means for the aforementioned apparatus and the aforementioned type of excavating machine, said control means being arranged so that movement in one plane operates one of said control means, while movement in another plane operates the other control means.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional viewthrough my combined dipper trip and tag line operating apparatus, certain of said parts being shown in elevation and other parts being broken away or shown in section. Full lines disclose the parts when used with a shovel attachment for producing dipper trip cable slack take-up; and dotted lines disclose the parts for producing dipper tripping tension on said cable or tag line tension on the tag line cable.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the front closure plate being removed therefrom.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, horizontal, sectional view through the mounting for the ap paratus, showing the driving or power takeofi connection from the main driving gears of the excavating machine.

Fig. i is a diagrammatic view partly broken away and showing an operating or control lever for an excavating machine having associated therewith a dipper tripping lever which is connected to my improved slack take-up and cable tensioning apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a convertible excavating machine having a shovel attachment applied thereto and disclosing my apparatus and operating means therefor.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings in which A denotes generally a convertible excavating machine having the usual traction base B and rotatable car body 0 carried thereon. The car body C is provided with a suitable extension D, as shown in Fig. 5, to which the various attachments, such as the shovel E, are secured. The car body carries the customary gearing which is enclosed in the casing F, for operating the particular attachment which it is desired to use.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be observed that within the casing F there is a gear G which is one of the train of gears (not shown) which operate the various hoisting and actuating drums (not shown) of the excavating machine. The casing F is provided with a pad or supporting portion F to which is attached in any suitable manner the casing 1 of my improved dipper trip and tag line operating apparatus.

The casing 1 is provided with bearings 2 for supporting the driving shaft 3 on which is freely carried my combined dipper tripping and tag line tension drum, indicated generally at 1. The shaft 3 has keyed thereto the driving gear 5 which is in meshing re lation with the gear G on the excavating machine.

The shaft has also keyed thereto the friction band support or hub portion 6, this hub being held in position against longitudinal displacement by the clamping bolt 6a and being provided with a supporting bracket or standard 7 to which is pivotally secured the primary dipper trip cable take-up fric tion band or block 8. A spring 9 is interposed between the standard 7 and the band 8 which may be adjusted to vary the extent of take-up action between the drum 4: and the band 8, also to compensate for wear between these parts. This is accomplished by adjusting the bolt 9a to increase the tension of the spring 9.

The hub 6 is provided with a second standard or bracket arm 10 to which is secured the dead end of the secondary friction band 11. The live end of this band is pivotally secured at 12 to a. link 13 which is in turn secured to a centrally pivoted actuating lever 14.

The bracket 10 is apertured at 10a to receive the adjusting bolt 15 which is pivotally secured to the dead end 16 of the friction band 11. Adjusting nuts 15a are provided on the adjusting bolt 15 on either side of the bracket 10 which may be rotated to provide for the proper positioning of the band 11 with respect to the cable take-up drum 4 and to compensate for wear occurring between these parts after prolonged use of the apparatus.

Disposed in spaced relation around the hub 6 are bracket members 16 carrying radially adjustable bolts 17 which constitute central izing means for the band member 11 when the same is in released or disengaging position. One of these brackets 16 also carries a retaining plate 17a to prevent lateral displacement of the friction band 11.

Disposed on the shaft 8 in splined relation thereto is a slida-ble actuating collar 18, clear- 1y disclosed in Fig. 1. This collar has an enlarged head portion 18a on which is secured a shifter yoke operating collar 19. The reduced portion of the collar is aperturcd and threaded at 196 to receive the pivot studs 20 for the bifurcated toggle link member 21. The free end of the link 21 is apertured to receive the free end 14a of the centrally pivoted lever 14.

It will be here observed that movement of the collar 18 inwardly towards the drum 4 will actuate the toggle link member 21 to rock the centrally pivoted lever 14- to expand the friction band member 11 against the friction surface 40 of the cable drum 4.

Suitably mounted on the casing F is a supporting standard 22 to which is pivoted the bell crank shifter yoke 23 which engages diametrically oppositely disposed trunnions or arms 19a of the shifter collar 19. The horizontally disposed arm 23a of the bell crank shifter yoke 23 is apertured at 286 to receive the vertical actuating rod 24:. Intermediate this rod and the pivot for the bell crank is an adjusting bolt 25 which is used to adjust the tension on the band member 11 when the apparatus is used for tag line takeup work.

The standard 22 has a lateral extension 2266 provided with a vertically disposed projection 22?) adapted to receive the compression spring 26 when the main friction band is desired to be continuously applied, as in tag line Work, as shown in Fig.2, and in. dotted lines in Fig. 1'. This spring is, of c011rse,.ten sioned by the adjusting bolt 25,. as above referred to.

Themanual operating meansor control for the main band 11 to produce actuation of the bellcrank shifter yoke 23for dipper tripping action, is shown in detail in Fig. 42., This control means is mounted onone of they main operating levers 26 of the excavating machine, and while it is preferable to utilize the swing lever for this mounting, it may be desirable in some instances to mount the control on one of the other levers.

As seen in Fig. 4,, the lever 26 carries an extending bracket 26a to which is pivotally secured the substantially horizontally positioned trip lever 27. An actuating rod or connection 28- is pivotally secured at one end to the lever 27 and at the other end to an arm of the bell crank 29 disposed adjacent to the pivot 26a for the lever 26. The other end of the bell crank 29 has secured thereto a rod 30 which is in turn secured to an arm of a second bell crank 31 supported by the bracket 32 upstanding from the floor of the car body G. The other arm of the bell crank 31 connects with the operating rod 24; leading to the shifter yoke 23.

The drum 4:, previously referred to, is provided with acable receiving portion 4a around which the trip or tag line cables are adapted to be wound. Suitable securing means for the en de of the cables is indicated generally at 4b and may. be of any conventional design, such as the usualwedge clamping member type The drum 4 is also provided adjacent to the cable receiving portion 4a with an annular flanged extension 40 for cooperating with the two friction bands 82 and 11. This flange may be provided exteriorl-y thereof with heat dissipating ribs 4d.

Assuming the parts. to be in the position shown in Figs'l, l and 5,. when used with an excavating machine having a shovel attachment applied thereto, and that the operator has filled the bucket, it will be noted from Fig. 2 that the primary friction band 8, being held in contact with the friction portion 4a of the drum l, causes a slight drag on the drum, tending to rotate the same, which will cause complete slack take-up action thereof to reeve in the dipper tripping cable until the same is substantially taut;

When it is desired to increase the tension on the cable to trip the door of the shovel, the operator depresses the lever 27 which in turn moves the rod 28 downwardly, rocking the bell crank 29 which moves the rod 30 to the right. This rocks the bell crank 3'1 to actuate the rod 24 upwardly, moving the shifter yoke 23 to cause the shifter collar 18 to be moved inwardly toward the cable drum 4. This action causes the toggle link 21 to rock; the, centrally pivoted lever 14: (Fig. 2:) to the, left, moving the live end. 12 of the secondary friction band 11 outwardly to cause a positivefrictional engagement of this bandgwith the friction surface 40 of the drum 412. This action causes sufficient tension: to be applied to the drum to rotate the same, actuating the cable to trip the latch, and releasing the door on the bucket in. the customary manner.

Upon. release of the-lever 27, the secondary band 11 will, of course, due to the normalizing action of the spring 36, be relieved of its expanding pressure and returned to contracted position, and this will decrease the tension on the trip cable again to that caused by the primary friction member 8.

l Vhen the excavating machine is equipped with a clam shell attachment, it must, of course, be assumed that the shovel attachment has been removed from the machine, together with the dipper trippingline,andthe customary boom and clam shellbucket (not shown) has been applied thereto, as well as he tag line which must be applied or wound upon the cable drum, dc, the other end of the line being fastened to a corner of the clam shell bucket.

Under these conditions, the actuating rod 24 may or may not be disconnected from the shifter yoke 23.

The tension: spring 26 is now interposed between-the arm 23a of the shifter yoke 23 and the extension 2200 of the standard 22, as

seen in Fig. 2, and in dotted lines in Fig; 1.

The adjusting bolt 25 is now screwed down the necessary amount to produce the desired tension for expanding the secondary band 11 acting inconjunction with the primary band 8 to produce the desired amount of friction between the said band members and the cable drum for tag line cable tensioning purposes. If it isdesired to spot the bucket, the connection between the lever arm 23a and the actuating lever 27 on the control lever 26 of the excavating machine is maintained so that the operator may depress the lever 27 to cause further pressure to be applied to the friction band 11 which will cause the cable drum la to wind up the tag line cable, drawing the bucket inwardly with respect to the end of the boom, and it may then be deposited or spotted. If it is desired to spot the bucket beyond the end of the boom, the operator may raise the lever 27 which relieves tension on the band 11 per mitting the bucket to swing from the aforementioned position out beyond the end of the boom where it may be lowered or dumped, as the case may be.

In order to prevent the operating parts from becoming damaged, as well as to protect the operator of the machine from person a1 injury due to contact with the winding drumand its associated parts, a perforated casing 33 is slipped over the drum 4 and suitably secured by fastenings 33a. This drum is provided with an opening or slot through which the tag line or dipper trip cable operates, and is also provided with apertures or perforations 336 through which the heat dissipated by the flanges 4d of the drum 4 is permitted to escape.

A circular face plate or closure 34 is hinged- V secured at 35 to the open end of the casing 33 and may be raised when desired to adjust the bands 8 and 11. The plate 34 is slotted at 34a to accommodate the arm 23a of the shifter yoke 23.

\Vhile the specific details of construction have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto as changes and alterations mav be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a combined dipper trip, slack takeup and tag line operating apparatus, a casing adapted to be mounted on a convertible shovel and clam shell bucket excavating machine. a shaft carried by said casing and adapted to be driven by the power plant of the excavating machine, cable reeving means rotatably carried by said shaft, and a plurality of friction driving means for establishing a driving relation between said shaft and the drum, certain of said friction means being adjustable to produce rotation of the drum for slack take-up action of the dipper trip cable of the shovel attachment when wound upon the cable reeving means, others of said means being operable to cause positive rotation of the drum to operate said cable for dipper tripping when the machine is used with the shovel attachment, said last named means being further adjustable to operate in conjunction with the first mentioned means to rotate the drum to produce tag line tension on a tag line cable of a clam shell when the machine is being used with a clam shell attachment. and instrumentalities for adi 11sting the said friction means.

2. In a combined dipper trip, slack take-up and tag line cable tensioning mechanism, a driven shaft, a cable reeving drum rotatably mounted thereon an d formed with an internal friction surface, a plurality of independent friction members for establishing driving relation between said shaft and said friction surface. and independent tensioning means for operating said friction members, one of said members being adjustable to produce slack take-up action of a cable when wound upon the drum, another of said members be ing manually adjustable to roduce ad ditional frictional driving relation between said internal friction surface of said drum and shaft to produce dipper tripping tension on the cable, said last named member being further adjustable to operate in conjunction with the first member to produce tag line tension on a tag linecable when wound around the drum, and instrumentalities for adjusting the said friction means.

3. In a combined dipper trip, slack take-up and tag line tensioning apparatus, a support, a driving shaft rotatably carried thereby, a dip er trip and tag line drum rotatably carried by said shaft comprising a cable receiving portion and an adjacent internal friction drum portion, primarv and secondary cooperating friction. members operatively secured to said shaft, tensioning means carried by the shaft for causing engagement of said primary member with said internal friction drum portion to produce slack take-up action of the drum, and additional means for tensioning said secondary member to effect additional tension between said member and said internal drum friction surface to produce dipper tripping tension or tag line tension of the drum.

4. In a combined dipper trip, slack take-up and tag line tensioning apparatus, a support, a driving shaft rotatably carried thereby, a dipper trip and tag line drum rotatably carried by said shaft comprising a cable receiving portion and an adjacent internal friction drum portion having heat dispensing means, primary and secondary friction members operatively secured to said shaft, tensioning means carried by the shaft for causing engagement of said primary member with said internal friction drum portion to produce slack take-up action of the drum, additional means for tensioning said secondary member to effectadditional tension between said member and the internal friction surface of the drum to produce dipper tripping tension or tag line tension of the drum, and a perforated casing surrounding said parts.

5. In a combined slack take-up, dipper trip and tag line operating mechanism, a cable reeving drum having an internal friction surface, a plurality of rotating friction members cooperating with the said friction surface of said drum to tend to rotate the same, a plurality of separate actuating devices for said members operable independently or accumulatively to produce slack take-up, dipper tripping action or tag line action of the cable reeving drum, and a manual control forone of said members.

6. A cable reeving device for convertible excavating machines, said device having a cable receiving portion and an associated internal friction drum portion, a pair of friction members adapted to engage said internal friction drum portion, yieldable means for causing engagement of said friction members with said drum, independent adjusting means for regulating the tension of said yieldable members.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

LESLIE A. RUSSELL. 

